One week until close of nominations

Prospective candidates in the forthcoming local council elections have until Wednesday to officially put their name on the ballot paper - and are being urged not to leave it until the last minute.

Nominations close at 16.00 on Wednesday March 29 with the list of candidates published on the Council website shortly after.

The election then takes place on Thursday May 4. 21 seats are available across six wards. Votes will be counted on May 5 with results expected shortly before lunchtime.

For the first time 16 and 17 year olds will be eligible to vote in the election and electors will be voting using the Single Transferable Vote system, where voters rank their candidates in order of preference.

Karen Greaves is the Council's Deputy Returning Officer. She said: "The Elections team are working hard behind the scenes to prepare for running the election in May. We've had a steady stream of potential candidates submitting their nomination papers to us, which is a very straight forward process. However we would like to avoid a last minute rush of nominations coming in, so if you are intending to stand then please get in touch with us as soon as possible."

The Council's Elections Team are available between 10.00 and 16.00 on weekdays to complete nomination paperwork. Nomination forms can be picked up from Customer Services in Kirkwall or downloaded from our election web pages. To make an appointment contact the Elections team on 01856 886 350 or email the elections office.